Gatekeepers and such
Gatekeepers can make or break your consultancy assignment: gatekeepers are usually authorised to say "no" to you, but not necessarily to say "yes". If your project…
Life is not a rehearsal! Start improvising!
You just never know what to expect when you're dealing with people. Neither work nor life is a rehearsal. Improvisation skills are people skills: Listening, saying…
Say no
Say no. Do less and obsess is the first of 7 principles that top performers have in common in Morten Hansen's book Work Less Achieve more (podcast here). Here are…
You gotta say what THEY think
There's a lot of pressure on a hostage negotiator. Pressure to make the guy with the hostages do what the negotiator wants. There's a lot of pressure on technical…
Five Problems for Data Science Consulting teams
There are five key problems for data scientist consulting teams right now. The key problems work around the acronym FLAWS: Free resourceLacking contextAll…
Saying Sorry is an art
Saying sorry is an art. We’ve all been there when something goes wrong. Your team doesn't follow a procedure, or made a basic error. You slipped past a deadline. You’re…
Office politics for Technical People (Geeks)
No one is as smart as you. But smarter doesn’t move you up the ladder. This is a primer on office politics for geeks and technical people. You will have to deal…
Leading Well: What you say and what you do matters
It’s a cliché that bosses often say “Do as I say, not as I do”. But of course both matter. Leading well means doing both. Read on to find some new reasons…
Are you smart enough to read this post? Why small talk is important
This is a primer on office politics for geeks and technical people. If you're not smart enough to read this post, then move on! I have been working with data…
No is a life choice too
Saying no nicely isn't just about talking with your clients and stakeholders and rationalising the decision. It's also a life and strategic choice. This article…